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Onyx Executioners
The Onyx Executioners are a foreboding and mysterious fleet-based Chapter, supposedly created during the 23rd Founding, the so-called 'Sentinel Founding', from unknown genetic lineage. Originally known as the Crusaders of Glory, this Chapter garnered a reputation as being a humane and pacivistic Chapter that had a reputation for sparing their enemies instead of outright destroying them, often turning them over for interrogation to agents of the Inquisition. However, their merciful nature would prove to be their undoing. In the early decades of M41, a good portion of the Chapter become wholly corrupted by the malefic powers of the Dark Gods, following the capture of a powerful daemonhost. This caused an internecine conflict between the remaining loyalists and Chaos-corrupted brethren, resulting in a full-blown Chapter civil war. With the help of both the Inquisition and an order of the Adepta Sororitas, the loyalist faction of the Chapter managed to subdue and utterly destroy their traitorous kin. Following this conflict, the remaining loyalists were subjected to various trials to prove their loyalty and suitability on whether they would be allowed to continue serving the Emperor. They were eventually pardoned and granted the Emperor's forgiveness. To further distance themselves from their treacherous former kin, they changed their heraldry, iconography and Chapter name to the Onyx Executioners. Chapter History The Chapter of the Onyx Executioners appeared under unknown circumstances at the time of the 23rd Founding, but they had a different name, style and color. So it was up to 031.M41. At the beginning of their service to the Emperor of Man, the Onyx Executioners were known as the Crusaders of Glory, wearing gray, red and gold colors, and their symbol was a cross resembling the Slavic cross of Ancient Terra. Throughout their history, the Crusaders of Glory have shown themselves to be humane warriors. Very humane - who often could spare the enemy, and naturally did not like the Inquisition, their pacifistic ways sowed the seeds of contention within the ranks of the Crusaders. Nowhere were these feelings of animosity felt than by the bellicose 4th Company ("Infernal Executioners") commander, Yuri Gavrilovski, and the Astartes of his company. In 030.M41, the destruction of the Crusaders of Glory finally came to fruition, when they were campaign and managed to capture a Chaos daemonhost. However, due to their merciful nature they did not immediately destroy foul creature. The malevolent creature managed to corrupt a good portion of the Chapter to Chaos. Then-commander Yuri took command of those battle-brothers that remained loyal and managed to remain un-corrupted. To distinguish themselves from their fallen kin, Yuri and the loyalist changed their heraldry and Chapter iconography. With the help of the Holy Inquisition and an order of the Adepta Sororitas, the traitor Crusaders were run to ground, surrounded and destroyed wholesale, as the warp storm Malfactus approached. A large portion of the loyalist Crusaders of Glory fell, but in the end, they managed to redeem themselves by executing every traitor. Following this campaign of retribution, the remaining loyalist members of the Chapter were subjected to soul-crushing trials conducted by the Ordo Hereticus to determine whether or not they were still fit to serve the Imperium. They were tested physically, psychologically and spiritually. Fortunately, they were not found wanting, and were redeemed of their traitorous brothers' actions. Pardoned by the Inquisition, the newly redeemed Chapter changed their name to the 'Onyx Executioners'. Notable Campaigns *'Burning Cross (030-031.M41)' - The civil war of the chapter, where, under the influence of a chaos daemonhost, most of the Crusaders of Glory were corrupted by the insidious influence of the Ruinous Powers and turned away from the light of the Emperor. Only a handful of worthy and unaffected battle-brothers stood up against the renegades, which resulted in a bloody-handed Chapter civil war. With the assistance of the Ordo Hereticus and an order of the Adepta Sororitas, were the loyalist Astartes able to overcome their corrupted brethren and eventually be redeemed of their erstwhile brethren's sins. To mark this lamentable event in their Chapter's history, the remaining loyalist Astartes changed their heraldry, livery and their Chapter name, and would forevermore be known as the 'Onyx Executioners'. *'Murdering of Star System (162.M41)' - An event in which the newly restored сhapter of Onyx Executioners began a battle against the greenskins based in the star system they plundered. During this conflict the Onyx Executioners suffered few losses, but they were serious enough to begin to reconsider their tactics of battle. Thus, the Lord Executioner of the 8th company of Onyx Executioners, Varriks "The Skull Tacker", presented his plan, which was to destroy the biosphere of the planets. However, the early High Lord Executioner Yuri refused him, which would turn out to be a fatal mistake. The first High Lord Executioner and chosen 50 battle-brothers launched a counter-attack against the Ork Warboss and his personal retinue of Nobz, to cut the head off the snake in an effort to demoralize the Orks. However, this action proved tragic as the High Lord Executioner and his retinue were all slaughtered by the orks, falling in battle. This news shocked the order. With their great leader dead, and no new plan adopted, then-Honour Guardian of High Lord Executioner, which had been left back at the Chapter's fortress-monastery with the rest of the Chapter of Onyx Executioners, assumed command of the Chapter and elected to follow the new plan concocted by Varriks. They bombarded all planets without exception, but on one they did not touch the separate area where their leader had fallen. Instead, the Chapter launched a planetary assault of the 5th Company with the new High Lord Executioner Aartiarus "Fire Claw". They ruthlessly exterminated every greenskin, burning every corpse as they went. Thus began the battle of the Chapter's new High Lord Executioner against their former Chapter Master's killers. But as history looked to repeat itself, and it looked like the Onyx Executioners' new Chapter Master was going to lose the duel with the massive Ork Warboss, he was saved by the timely intervention of Lord Executioner Saytarus Erigor, whose sword pierced the head of the Warboss. But luckily, when they took the body of the first High Lord Executioner, he wasn't completely dead, but he was mortally wounded and dying. The apothecaries of the chapter, along with the Iron Lords placed him in the sarcophagus of a relic Contemptor Dreadnought, thus, saving his life. *'Dark Mirror of The Past (545.M41)' - When an uprising broke out on the agrarian world near the warpstorm Malfactus, under the influence of the forces of chaos, the Onyx Executioners answered the call, sending the 5th with part of the 10th companies there. The approximate locations of the enemy’s bases and their direction of movement were known, which is why Lord Executioner Saytarus sent scouts to clean up several bases, followed by the theft of the plan of traitors and heretics. In total, 2 scout squads of 10 young brothers each were sent, but only 4 scouts returned. They reported that the enemy seemed to know the tactics of the Chapter by heart and did not even allow them to get to their bases, and then it was decided to send several dozen servo-skulls for reconnaissance so that they could find out what was happening. About a day there was no new data from the servo-skulls, until one of them sent 60 frames, exactly before its destruction. What was shown there struck the veterans of the company, and the rest began to ask questions. It was the Lord of Chaos, but his face, his armor and the symbol on the shoulder pad belonged to the former commander of the 1st company of their dark and shameful past. His name was removed from the chapter data, and he himself was considered dead. Lord Saytarus felt anger seething in his veins, he was about to make a hasty decision that he would destroy the company, however, no younger Iron Lord Michael stopped him in time. He asked his Lord one of tactics were during the time of the Crusaders of Glory, and Saitarus understood the hint. They began to follow the tactics of terror, and as it was conceived - it did not work, the enemy fell into the trap and their Chaos Lord came out of the shadows. Laughing, he walked toward the Onyx Executioners, summoning the commander to a duel. Saytarus accepted the challenge and both sides fell silent, but it was only a trick. Artillery shells fell on the battlefield, killing many traitors and scum from the past. This cunning and at the same time simple plan from the Iron Lord turned out to be a turning point for this war and significantly shortened the life of everyone who stood up against the Imperium on this planet. *'New Decline (867.M41)' - The Onyx Executioners again experienced serious losses in their chapter. About six companies were sent in order to clear one of the systems of the Ultima Segmentum from the enemy in the form of a cult of genestealers. The stripping company was almost perfect, until at one moment all the planets of the system heard the sound of sirens, which foreshadowed only trouble. Not wanting to give a grain of their strategically important places, the cultists launched nuclear warheads in all the hives and supply stations. Then many brothers were seriously wounded, and even more died for various reasons: someone, due to failure, was in the epicenter or near the explosion, someone collapsed on the building, someone blasted the wave from a great height. According to the company's results, the chapter suffered losses in 472 battle brothers and added another shameful line to its history, and the system turned out to be uninhabited for a long time. *'Night Carnage (996-999.M41)' - On the orders of the Inquisition, Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Xenos, the 4th company of onyx executioners, were sent to one of the agrarian planets in small composition, which was located 15 parsecs from the territories of the T'au Empire, due to the fact that the world's population shows empathy and affection for xenos creatures. Twenty five battle brothers went to the landing, and the rest of the order imposed a blockade on the sector, preventing ships with the inhabitants of the planet from flying out of the system. The 4th company began with the lightest and at the same time bloody tactics - terror tactics. Every day, the Astartes tracked suspected blue-faced fanatics from observation points, and at night they caught several and inflicted wounds incompatible with life, but basically they paired their stomachs, after which they hung them from different points, writing with their blood next to “So it will be with everyone, who will join the false xenos empire!" This method worked fine, but progress was slow. However, at the end of the third year of the mission, the planet rebelled, showing that most of the population was still fanatics of an alien empire. Those 25 Space Marines who were on the surface sent a report to the Lord Executioner, and he, in turn, to the High Lord Executioner, after which the rest of the 4th company and 5 company were ordered to land on the planet, for mass stripping of rebels. *'Poison and Flame (000.M42)' - This was supposed to be a routine recruiting operation from the wild in 3 star years from the Maelstorm warp storm. And so it was, but only in the beginning. When the 10th company, with the support of the 3rd company, was in the orbit of one of their recruitment worlds, their ships did not detect anything. Not even the signal from the planet's spires. It’s impossible not to guess that this was a trap and that their recruiting operation could be considered lost, but Lord Executioner of the 3rd company Akella refused to leave this world or wait for assistance from his Chapter's other companies, because he believed that as more time passed, the less chance there would be of saving the world from an imminent invasion of daemons. Despite the fact that Lord Executioner of the 10th company Koschen agreed that time was short, he refused to go into battle against the enemy. Because of this, a dispute began between the brothers, which spilled over into a small fight between them, after which Lord Executioner Koschen left his system with his company, and the 3rd Company made decisions about an immediate attack. Akella knew that this was a very dangerous decision, but losing even one recruiting world was too serious for their Chapter. Then dozens of drop pods began to fall from the sky to the surface. All the forces of the company unfolded on the planet, which was already poisoned by the presence of chaos represented by the hordes of cultists and part of the Steel Cobras warband. The enemies of the Imperium had daemonic engines, captured citadels and fort posts, and the Onyx Executioners, only knowledge of the planet, which were practically useless in battle. As if in the ancient proverb of Terra "do or die" battles were fought on the planet. The 3rd company suffered heavy losses, many strong brothers were killed in those days, but they all the same took away territory from the enemy, annihilating everyone who came in their way and prevented them from reconquering the world. Even civilians fell into the lists of victims at the hands of the Onyx Executioners, but because of this, the enemy knew that the anger of these Astartes could not be stopped or manipulated with the help of prisoners. As a result of the campaign, all the forces of chaos were destroyed, as well as all traces of their arrival, the population of the planet was reduced to 1 billion, and only 11 Astartes survived from the 3rd company, among which was Lord Executioner Akella, who lost his lower jaw and right leg. Then in Lord Executioner there was an insult to a brother from the 10th company, because with his help it was possible to do with smaller victims. Fortress-Monastery The mobile fortress-monastery of the Onyx Executioners consists of a massive Space Hulk code-named the Ashen Cross, which had been with the Chapter practically from the very beginning of the Chapters existence since they were known as the Crusaders of Glory. The space hulk itself is a meteor, made up of a conglomeration of around 56 transport and cargo cruisers of the Imperium, held together by gravity and various space debris. Within the interior of the meteor are many tunnels, which house the various chambers, living quarters and other important facilities of the Chapter, supported by thousands of serfs and honorable servants of the Omnissiah, arranged in a place full of holiness, grandeur and honor. Chapter Organisation Officer Ranks *'High Lord Executioner' - Chapter Master equivalent. *'Lord Executioner' - Captain equivalent. *'Paladin' - Lieutenant equivalent. Specialist Ranks *'Grand Iron Lord' - Master of the Forge equivalent. *'Iron Lord' - Techmarine *'Grand Medicae' - Master of the Apothecarion equivalent. *'Medicae' - Apothecary equivalent. *'Reclusiarch' - Master of the Faith equivalent. *'Chaplain' *'Chief Librarian' - Master of the Librarius. *'Librarian' Line Ranks Order of Battle Headquarters Companies Сompanies in the Chapter are distinguished not by colors, as in most Codex orders, but by special images on the knee pad. The first company has the flame, the second gallows, the third torch, the fourth gelatine, the fifth ritual dagger, the sixth waves of the river, the seventh stakes, the eighth quartered man, the ninth an axe, ect: Chapter Combat Doctrine The Onyx Executioners are consummate assault masters of fortified positions. Their skills in this matter are such, that they are often compared to the vaunted Imperial Fists and the vile Iron Warriors Traitor Legion. However, they have no patience for prolonged engagement, wishing only to get to grips with the foe so that they can destroy them utterly, anxious to stand against the enemy so that they can get to grips with their enemies and tear them apart in a hail of blood with bolter and blade. When in the heat of battle, the Onyx Executioners have a difficult time reigning themselves in once they are fully engaged with the enemy, They will not relent until their enemies are utterly crushed and their positions are left as bloody abattoirs. Many scholars speculate this violent behaviour is due to the Onyx Executioners' inherent shame that remains due to the lamentable events of the betrayal and subsequent Chapter civil war. It is this psychological need for retribution that often sees them overcome near impossible odds, emerging victorious time and again, despite overwhelming numbers of the enemy arrayed against them. This behaviour has garnered the Onyx Executioners a dark reputation as being notoriously bellicose in temperament and bloody-handed in the execution of their duties, concerned only with bringing the message of swift and merciless retribution to those who dare to defy the Emperor. It is this apparent psychosis that sees many of their Imperial allies unwilling to work alongside such bloody-handed and ferocious Astartes, despite the Chapter's laudable record of victories. Many more disciplined Imperial military forces and Codex-oriented Chapters consider the methods of the Onyx Executioners both radical and dishonourable, due to their penchant for not sparing anyone, which at times, has unfortunately included large amounts of amounts of collateral damage, resulting in the deaths of innocents. In void conflict, the Onyx Executioners reign supreme. They excel at fighting in the close confines and narrow corridors of starfaring vessels and Space Hulks, showing their great agility and reaction speed to the maximum, their pistols and melee weapons always at-the-ready, including their hands. Although, these warriors will sometimes make use of flamer weapons to maximise the amount of damage spread by the burning flames of their wrath. When the Astartes of this Chapter are assigned the task to enact retribution against a recalcitrant world, and there are no allied forces or important civilians populations on the planet, especially if it is a world of little significance to the Imperium, the Onyx Executioners will begin a planetary assault with a massive orbital bombardment. Often, the Chapter makes use of deadly virus bombs that contain pathogens harvested from the acidic fumes of death worlds. When they explode in the planet's atmosphere, they destroy the doomed planet's biosphere, raining down acidic rain that will eat through metal, rockcrete and flesh, reducing most planetary life, whether flora or fauna, to organic sludge of biochemicals and organic gasses. Those caught at the epicentre of the explosion or are located in close proximity, suffer the most grievous effects, suffering from acid burns from which even kiramit armour is rarely saved. After the initial bombardment, the Chapter land amongst its chosen drop zones and begins the systematic eradication of those few survivors that are left, utterly annihilating the weakened foe, until nothing remains. Chapter Beliefs The Onyx Executioners are convinced that any person who even has thoughts that the Imperium of Mankind is weak, and the Emperor Himself will never rise from the Golden Throne, should pay for it with his life and executed, like every foul xenos creature. The chapter itself believes in the Emperor as a divine god of salvation, that it will return in the hour of great need and will slay all the enemies of Mankind. To other kinds of faith in the Emperor, as in god, spirits or simply His respect they belong quietly and unbiased, for man himself is free on their loyalty to the Emperor. When the Emperor's son, Primarch of the XIII - Ultramarine Legion - Lord Roboute Guilliman returned and took command of the Imperium, they considered it a great miracle, not knowing exactly how he returned. They believed that this was the first step to the return of the Lord of Mankind. Although they respect the Ultramarines Primarch immensely, they regarded his gift as a new generation of Astartes, namely Primaris Astartes, with great distrust, knowing that some of them lived in the time of the Horus Heresy and were in the Traitor Legions. With this problematic distrust in the chapter, lest again not split his, the High Lord Executioner himself, his honor guards and Lord Executioner of the 5th company, Saytarus Erigor, voluntarily to cross the Rubicon Primaris. But unfortunately, the second High Lord Executioner did not survive the arduous process, and the new High Lord Executioner, Skolas, was chosen from his honor guard. Chapter Gene-Seed The Onyx Executioners' gene-seed is similar in structure to two notable First Founding Chapters - the Iron Hands and the Salamanders. Despite such similarities, the Iron Hands and Salamanders deny any ties with the Onyx Executioners as one of their successors. The Onyx Executioners, too, deny these assumptions. Of note, their gene-seed appears very stable and has never exhibited signs of mutation. A peculiar and unexplained quirk of the Chapter is the Onyx Executioners' pathological need to mete out retribution to the guilty. The Astartes of this Chapter often show a tendency for moral exoneration and a drive to enact retribution. Many scholars believe this is a result of a deep pathological need to prove themselves in the eyes of the Emperor due to their extreme self-loathing for ever allowing themselves to turn from the grace of the Emperor's beneficence. Since this lamentable era in their Chapter's history, the Onyx Executioners drive to enact retribution against heretics and those who make truck with the Ruinous Powers overrides all other impulses within them. Their methods and combat doctrine are geared towards the righteous drive to punish the fallen. Notable Space Marines *'Yuri Gavrilovski' - First High Lord Executioner (First Chapter Master of the Onyx Executioners, following the events of the betrayal). Now Venerable Contemptor Dreadnought. *'Aartiarus "Fire Claw"' - Second High Lord Executioner, the murder of hundred worlds and most respective person in chapter. (Dead) *'Skolas' - Third and current High Lord Executioner. *'Saytarus Erigor' - Lord Executioner of the 5th Company, Killer of Renegade Chapter Master, one who saved the Second and First High Lords Executioners from imminent death. *'Varriks "The Skull Tacker"' - Lord Executioner of the 8th Company, Killer of Thousand and Master of Torture *'Michail' - Iron Lord of the 5th Company and killer of Great Fallen brother. Chapter Fleet *''Ashen Cross'' (Space Hulk) - Serves as the Chapter's fortress-monastery. *''Flame Forged'' (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - Belongs to the 1st Company. *''Daughter of Vengeance'' (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - Belongs to the 2nd Company. *''Rightfully Light'' (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - Belongs to the 3rd Company. *''Head Cutter'' (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - Belongs to the 4th Company. *''Blade of Slaughter'' (Warspite-class Battle-Barge) - Belongs to the 5th Company. *''Son of War'' (Strike-Cruiser) - Belongs to 6th Company. *''Lost Soul'' (Strike-Cruiser) - Belongs to 7th Company. *''Celestial Blood'' (Strike-Cruiser) - Belongs to 8th Company. *''Citadel of Rage'' (Strike-Cruiser) - Belongs to 9th Company. *''Light of Hope'' (Light-Cruiser) - Belongs to 10th Company. *'13 Rapid Strike Vessles (Escorts)' Chapter Relics *''Face of Death'' - The master-crafted mark 4 helmet with brass face plate and forelock. *''Merciful Mercy'' - Ancient power axe, which according to some rumors was created during the time of the Unified Wars. *''Retribution Blade'' - A power sword that once tasted the flesh of the renegade chapter master of the Crusaders of Glory and belonged to the first High Lord Executioner. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colours Pre-Heresy When the Onyx Executioners were still known as the Crusaders of Glory, they wore grey coloured battle-plate with ruby red painted upon both shoulder pauldron insets and both poleyns (knee guards). Parts of their armour were often guilded in gold. The Chapter's iconography was proudly displayed on both shoulder pauldron insets, while a small black squad specialty symbol which designated a battle-brother's assigned specialty (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran) were indicated on the right vambrace (forearm armour) or right poleyn. A small black roman numeral stenciled next to the squad specialty symbol indicated squad assignment. A larger black coloured roman numeral on the left poleyn indicated a battle-brother's assigned company. Post-Heresy Following the Chapter's internecine conflict, the newly renamed 'Onyx Executioners' chose different heraldry. They now primarily wear black coloured battle-plate, with olive drap green painted upon the helmet's faceplate, both shoulder pauldron insets and the both poleyns. A black coloured squad specialty symbol stenciled on the right shouler pauldron inset indicates a battle-brother's assigned squad specialty (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran). A small black gothic numeral stenciled on the shoulder pauldron inset indicates squad assignment. A small, unique black coloured heraldic device stenciled upon the left poleyn indicates a battle-brother's company assignment. The Imperialist or Aquila worn on the plastron (chest guard) is brass in colour. Unlike the most of the codex chapters, Onyx Executioners have a distinctive designation of the ranks in armour colors. Chapter Badge The Onyx Executioners' Chapter icon is a stylised black coloured skull wreathed in the fires of vengeance. Relations Allies Enemies Notable Quotes By the Chapter About the Chapter Feel free to add your own Gallery File:Onyx Executioners Heraldry.png|Onyx Executioners livery shield. File:High Lord Executioner Yuri.png|High Lord Executioner Yuri during the Burning Cross Civil War. File:Lord Executioner Saytarus.jpg|5th Company Lord Executioner Saytarus Erigor. File:Lord_Executioner_Varriks.png|8th Company Lord Executioner Varriks "The Skull Tacker" Onyx_Executioners_skeleton.png|Onyx Executioners Primaris Chaplain File:Onyx Executioners Vet Marine.jpg|Onyx Executioners 1st Company Veteran. Onyx_Executioners_Sergeant.png|Onyx Executioners Sergeant Crota of the 4th tactical squad of 5th Company File:Onyx Executioners Battle-Brother.jpg|Onyx Executioners Battle-Brother File:Onyx_Executioners_5th_Company_Intercessor.png|Onyx Executioners 5th Company Intercessor File:Lord Executioner Yuri Dred.png|Onyx Executioner Ex-High Lord Executioner Yuri in the contemptor dreadnought sarcophagus File:Crusaders of Glory Astartes.png|Crusaders of Glory Battle-Brother (Pre-heresy appearance.) File:Crusaders Onyx Executioners Duel.jpg|Duel of Crusader and Executioner. Category:Fleet-Based Chapters Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:23rd Founding